This is SO exciting for me. This is HUGE! Take a look at this video and I hope you will be excited as much as I am. :) What happens in this video: The dog with patellar luxation will sit completely differently after some TTouch strokes were applied.
The Reason Why The Dog Doesn’t Sit Straight
I’m sure you have seen a dog sitting on (one side or both) of the bottom directly without bending the knee(s) before. What’s the big deal? The big deal is that the dogs must have a reason why they sit like that. Usually, if dogs have discomfort or pain in the legs, they compromise the way they sit. Let’s imagine this. When you need to squat but if you have pain in your knee, what would you do? You really don’t want to bend the knee becasue it hurts, right? Then, you would try squatting by bending the other knee only, shifting your weight onto the side of the working knee. If you always have to squat with one leg, I would assume;
- Your working leg will grow tighter due to having to have to work extra hard,
- Your working leg may eventually become sore or painful from dealing with weight that is more than what one leg should handle
Same idea for dogs.
If the dog keeps compensating for something and shifting body weight around…
Over-worked muscles will be tight and sore.
⬇
The muscles will lose elasticity and flexibility.
⬇
Because the muscles are not flexible enough to withstand jumping, twisting or any other fast movement, the dog is more likely to injure the muscle.
⬇
The muscles around the origin of pain will atrophy because it is not being used.
⬇
The spine may be misaligned with habitual improper posture and misuse of limbs. Make sense so far?
TTouch
For those who are not familiar with the name “TTouch”, it is called Tellington TTouch and it was developed by Dr. Tellington.
TTouch is a method based on circular movements of the fingers and hands all over the body. The intent of the TTouch is to activate the function of the cells and awaken cellular intelligence – a little like “turning on the electric lights of the body.” (http://www.ttouch.com/)
TTouch is well-known as a training tool for animals with behavioral problems, but I must emphasize that it is also effective in terms of bringing body awareness to animals. If the posture has been compromised for a long period of time, dogs are so used to it and normally have habitual movement and posture developed. Dogs usually don’t pay much attention to their hind legs anyway.
Reset The Body For Success
By activating the function of the cells and awaken cellular intelligence via TTouch, we can encourage the dog’s body to “reset” itself on the cellular level. When TTouch strokes are applied, it is known as activating all 4 brain waves. That means that the dog is reset and ready to absorb something new. In other words, you can set the dog up for success in terms of learning how to learn. In this case, sitting using (bending) the knee.
Look at Dewey sitting so much better at the end of the video compared to the beginning part of the video! The more the dog stands in a proper posture, the more we can expect the body to develop and maintain muscles in balance.
Combining TTouch is a great idea for all dogs in addition to massage for general wellness. Leading the dog to have proper posture is like having the dog take an initiative of the body, while (a person) massaging the dog is the opposite; a passive (and accepting) way to feel good about the body.
Now do you see why I’m so excited??
If you would like to try TTouch on your dog, this is a great reference book to get started.
About Author
Eri Suzaki, CCMT – Canine Therapeutics
I've always wanted to do something related to animals but never knew what direction I wanted to go in. As I watched my dog Chuckie age, as well as struggling with my own arthritis, I finally got the answer to what I was looking for when I heard about canine massage. Since the beginning of Canine Therapeutics in 2010, I've had nothing but amazing experiences with each dog that I've worked with.
I look forward to meeting with you and making a positive difference in your dog's health!
